Axil, Veolia and The Momentum Group recognised as Best Places to Work

Axil, Veolia and The Momentum Group have all been recognised in The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work 2025. The awards celebrate organisations with the highest employee engagement and wellbeing levels, as measured by the in-depth employee surveys carried out this year, and are only presented to companies who meet the strict engagement criteria.

Axil

Total waste management provider, Axil, has been named on the list for the second year running.

This year, Axil scored ‘excellent’ across all six drivers of employee engagement: reward and recognition, information sharing, empowerment, wellbeing, pride, and job satisfaction.

Standout results include:

• 93 per cent say they have a good relationship with their manager
• 90 per cent feel safe and happy at work
• 90 per cent feel proud to work for Axil
• An eNPS of +62, with 88 per cent of employees saying they’d recommend Axil as a great place to work
• 98 per cent of employees completed the survey, showing genuine engagement

It’s been a big year. Axil, who works with brands like CBRE, Beko Europe, Lush, LEVC and BMW Group, was also named the #1 fastest-growing waste management and recycling company in the UK in the FT 1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies 2025, and secured an EcoVadis Gold Rating, placing it in the top five per cent globally for sustainability.

Despite rapid growth, Axil says it has never lost sight of what matters most – its people. From performance-linked bonuses and wellbeing support to paid birthday leave, Perkbox savings, and new flexibility schemes, Axil continues to enhance how it supports its teams. The introduction of birthday leave and a holiday buy scheme came directly from feedback in the 2024 Sunday Times survey – proof that Axil listens, adapts, and acts.

Chief Executive, Edward Pigg said: “This award reflects who we are, how far we’ve come, and what our people say about working here. We’re growing fast, but we’re growing right – with our people at the centre.

“This recognition isn’t just about the workplace we’ve built; it’s about the people who keep shaping it. Last year’s feedback helped us grow – from introducing new benefits and wellbeing schemes to strengthening a culture of honesty and empowerment.

“Being named one of the UK’s Best Places to Work in the medium-sized business category is an incredible recognition of our journey – growing from just 34 people in 2018 to nearly 250 today. At Axil, we’re not just delivering the best in waste management – we’re building a company where people thrive, grow, and have fun along the way.”

Veolia

Veolia has been listed as one of the top “very big” companies for the third successive year in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work. As the only resource management company to achieve this prestigious listing as a very big organisation, the company also achieved an excellent rating for employee happiness, confidence in management, diversity and inclusion, empowerment, job satisfaction and instilling pride at work.

This achievement further recognises the success of the extensive programmes developed by Veolia to address the areas of employee experience, purpose, inclusion, diversity, and wellbeing. This includes Veolia Cares, a comprehensive package of employee benefits for everyone whenever they need some assistance, security and encouragement. These initiatives connect Veolia’s people with their purpose of ecological transformation and the values that support their work.

Key results include:

• 80 per cent happiness score (vs 72% industry average)
• Very low ‘Wellbeing Risk’ (17 per cent vs 38 per cent industry average)
• Strong confidence in management (80 per cent vs 72 per cent industry average)
• Low and decreasing ‘Flight Risk’ (14 per cent vs 39 per cent industry average)
• Promoter status for eNPS (Score of 36 in 2025, anything above 30 is classed as ‘promoter’ rather than passive)
• Excellent D&I score (1 vs -1 industry average score)

Beth Whittaker, Chief Human Resources Officer, Veolia Northern Europe Zone said: “To have been recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work for a third year in a row is an amazing achievement which demonstrates our teams’ pride in where they work and the meaningful difference they make every day.

“Our employee engagement metrics show excellent results which consistently outperform industry averages and show that our teams are vocal advocates for the organisation.

“At Veolia, we are committed to our purpose of ecological transformation and know that each and every one of our colleagues contributes to a more sustainable environment; the fact they celebrate their work environment too is fantastic!”

The Momentum Group

The Momentum Group, a leading property services company based in the North-West, is one of 187 medium-sized businesses in the UK to have made the list this year.

Achieving a 90 per cent overall wellbeing score and 88 per cent for job satisfaction, The Momentum Group scored highly across employee satisfaction and workplace excellence. Key results include:

• 93 per cent of employees feel happy and safe in their working environment
• 92 per cent of employees feel happy with their hours of work
• 91 per cent of employees feel like they do something worthwhile
• 90 per cent of employees feel like they have a good relationship with their manager
• 89 per cent feel proud to work for Momentum
• 10 per cent of employees are at risk of having poor wellbeing, compared to the industry average of 38 per cent and global average of 39 per cent
• Just 9 per cent of employees cited a high chance of leaving in the next nine months, more than four times less than industry average of 39 per cent and global average of 40 per cent

Chris Renshaw, Co-Founder and Director of The Momentum Group, commented: “Being recognised as one of The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work this year is a brilliant achievement for The Momentum Group.  A business is only as good as its people we are committed to not only creating an exceptional team, but ensuring that everyone feels valued, empowered, and engaged in the future success of themselves, their colleagues, and the company as a whole.

“To achieve this, we want to hold ourselves to account, and so securing this prestigious recognition is fantastic third-party validation of our approach, and a testament to the commitment shown by everyone in the team to making the Momentum Group a very special place to work.”

Last year, saw the launch of ‘Young Momentum’, a programme to get together all team members under 30 years old to discuss their experiences working for The Momentum Group and gather ideas for the future. Hosted by the two Directors, Young Momentum meets quarterly.

The recognition as one of The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work 2025 follows The Momentum Group’s gaining B Corp™ certification, achieved through the business’ ongoing commitment to people, places, the planet, and professionalism. The company’s commitment to the community is further supported by its philanthropic arm, the Momentum Foundation, which aids numerous local charities and The Group’s volunteering programme which has seen Momentum Build providing pro bono support to various local charities.